Art Media Definitions For more definitions, see this site: http://www.artincanada.com/arttalk/arttermsanddefinitions.html Watercolour - thin, transparent water-soluble paint. Clay - an art material found in the earth that can be fired in a kiln. Chalk Pastels - an art material made of talc and pigment pressed into sticks for colouring. Wood Block - a print made by cutting a design in a block of wood and printing only raised surfaces on paper. Tempera - Tempera is a word used to describe any type of binder such as oil, water, or egg that makes a pigment workable as a paint form. Oil Pastels - a crayon made of ground colour and mixed with a sticky water or oil...a drawing can be made with these colouring sticks. Paper Mache - French meaning, :"mashed paper". Technique of soaking paper strips in paste and covering a form with the strips, later drying to a hard, semi-permanent object. Mixed Media - the use of two or more art mediums in an art work. Impasto - paints applied in very thick amounts to a canvas or other background. Canvas - fabric stretched over a wood frame to paint on. Refers to any surface on which paintings are created. Acrylic - thicker and stronger than tempera or watercolour paint. Acrylic is a water-based "plastic" paint. Charcoal and Conte Crayon - In stick form, both give you a very strong, dark line. A disadvantage to these crayons is that they break easily and tend to smudge. Can be found in stick form as well. Conte - the modern pencil lead invented by Nicolas Conte. It is black, red, or brown chalk. Oil paint - pigment with oil to produce great versatility, offering the possibility of transparency and opacity in the same painting; the lack of colour change when the painting dries; and ease of manipulation. Pens - technical drawing pens produce a sharp line that never varies in width. They come in a range of colours, and widths which create different effects. Plaster - when mixed with water, this powder will harden into a chalk-like solid used to create sculptures, and other forms of artwork. Silver print - this generic term covers all prints made on paper that is coated with silver salts. Black and white photographs are usually silver prints.
Art Media Definitions
For more definitions, see this site:
http://www.artincanada.com/arttalk/arttermsanddefinitions.html
Watercolour - thin, transparent water-soluble paint.
Clay - an art material found in the earth that can be fired in a kiln.
Chalk Pastels - an art material made of talc and pigment pressed into sticks for colouring.
Wood Block - a print made by cutting a design in a block of wood and printing only raised surfaces on paper.
Tempera - Tempera is a word used to describe any type of binder such as oil, water, or egg that makes a pigment workable as a paint form.
Oil Pastels - a crayon made of ground colour and mixed with a sticky water or oil...a drawing can be made with these colouring sticks.
Paper Mache - French meaning, :"mashed paper". Technique of soaking paper strips in paste and covering a form with the strips, later drying to a hard, semi-permanent object.
Mixed Media - the use of two or more art mediums in an art work.
Impasto - paints applied in very thick amounts to a canvas or other background.
Canvas - fabric stretched over a wood frame to paint on. Refers to any surface on which paintings are created.
Acrylic - thicker and stronger than tempera or watercolour paint. Acrylic is a water-based "plastic" paint.
Charcoal and Conte Crayon - In stick form, both give you a very strong, dark line. A disadvantage to these crayons is that they break easily and tend to smudge. Can be found in stick form as well.
Conte - the modern pencil lead invented by Nicolas Conte. It is black, red, or brown chalk.
Oil paint - pigment with oil to produce great versatility, offering the possibility of transparency and opacity in the same painting; the lack of colour change when the painting dries; and ease of manipulation.
Pens - technical drawing pens produce a sharp line that never varies in width. They come in a range of colours, and widths which create different effects.
Plaster - when mixed with water, this powder will harden into a chalk-like solid used to create sculptures, and other forms of artwork.
Silver print - this generic term covers all prints made on paper that is coated with silver salts. Black and white photographs are usually silver prints.
Back to Resources